Tribute Celebrations invite children of all ages,
race and socioeconomic status to celebrate inspirational individuals. We explore
their lives, their songs, choose favorite quotes, and use multimedia to celebrate
everyone’s talents. There are no auditions. Everyone gets a chance to be Martin
Luther King Jr., FDR, or Anne Frank and relate their lives to the honorees’ and ask,
“What would I have done given the circumstances?” Participants love these read-through
plays, and are proud to share their performances with parents, friends, and
fellow students. Some of them may have just arrived two days before the performance. Everyone is welcome. If some need assistance reading their part,
there are always others who will help.

Working toward the same goal and helping one another all involved
begin to believe that they are able to contribute to our ever changing
world and “make a difference.”

Thinking of Martin Luther King Jr.’s words from a Birmingham jail.

More and more I feel that people of ill will have used
time much more effectively...we will have to repent in this generation
not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for
the appalling silence of the good people.

The Tribute to Harriet Tubman which you presented
this afternoon is representative of your lifelong efforts to bring
together people of all ages, backgrounds and experiences. You have
dedicated yourself to educating young people about monumental events in
our history and the role that they have played in our society. Eve, you
have used your personal experiences, love of education, and outstanding
abilities to increase awareness about history and the leaders that
blazed the trails of freedom and equality which we enjoy today. In
addition to acting as a mentor for young people…

…Eve’s work transcends the story of the Holocaust; her teachings
reinforce the notion that we are all members of a larger community and
the forces that bind us are much stronger than the forces that seek to
tear us apart. Our differences as individuals are our greatest asset as
a people, and we must learn to draw on this diversity in order to
progress beyond our current state…